'Doesn't mean anything': Burnley's Championship triumph no guarantee of success according to Josh Brownhill

The Clarets will line up in the top flight once again this coming season after taking the second tier by storm under Vincent Kompany, amassing 101 points and losing just three games.

But despite the emphatic nature of their automatic promotion, Brownhill knows the Premier League is a different ball game entirely.

“It’s going to be very, very tough,” the 27-year-old told the Burnley Express.

“In the Premier League, the first thing to do is stay up and get to the 35/36 point mark. The quicker you do that, you can then start looking forward.

“We had a really good season last year but that doesn’t mean anything going into the Premier League. It doesn’t mean we’re going to take the Premier League by storm.

“We played against Man City, Man Utd and Bournemouth last season and we showed we can handle that level, so hopefully we can continue that and when we get to that points mark, we can thrive from there.”

On a personal level Brownhill is delighted to be back in the Premier League, having been part of the side that dropped to the Championship last year.

“It’s where you want to be as a kid. It’s the best league in the world,” the midfielder added.

“It was devastating to get relegated but to go back up in the manner we did was outstanding really, because we had a really good season.

“That’s been put to bed though, that was last season. We’ve got a new upcoming season and we want to be better than we were last season, but it’s going to be tough.”

The Clarets couldn’t have asked for a tougher start with reigning champions Manchester City up first, but Brownhill says there’s nothing but anticipation among Kompany’s men.

“We’re really excited,” he said.

“The friendlies have come at the perfect time for us to get our fitness in, to get our sharpness in and to play against some good teams.

“Before you know it, that Friday night game will come around real quick and it’s going to be a tough test against the best in the world, but it’s something we’re looking forward to.”